Nowadays, when technological progress does not stand still, a large number of country property owners are abandoning traditional heating systems in favor of more innovative ones.
One of these heating systems, which has already been tested and shown to be effective, is IR heating.
Infrared heating of a home is far from a new technology, but at the same time innovative, as it is an affordable and effective way to heat a property. The basis of such heating is the power of nature, because all devices for infrared heating use the same principles as the Sun - it is not the air itself that is heated, but directly the surface of the room.
Heating with infrared rays: features
In itself, infrared heating of a country house, although technically complex, is still characterized by increased productivity. Due to the high power of the heaters themselves, as well as the innovative method of heating the air in the room (the walls, furniture, floor and ceiling receive heat first, and then the air), it is possible to achieve not only high quality work, but also significantly reduce the cost of heating .
It should be noted that due to the absence of absorption by the air of heat emanating directly from the device itself, it is possible to eliminate energy losses. Thus, there is no irrational temperature distribution, and therefore the efficiency of IR heaters is an order of magnitude higher than that of the same batteries or air heating devices. Energy savings amount to 70%, which significantly affects the cost of heating and allows you to save money.
Floor-standing IR heaters for a country house
The instructions for heating devices using this technology also indicate that they can be used for spot or zone heating of a room. By the way, this is the only type of heating equipment with similar characteristics.
Design of IR heating devices
Today, all infrared devices for heating a country house presented on the domestic market have a single design. The main structural element of such equipment is a heating element (as a rule, several heaters are used).
The design also uses aluminum alloy plates, which can heat up to 250C and emit electromagnetic waves in a certain range. It should be noted that the body of the IR device does not heat up above 80 C, and therefore they can be safely installed in any room, without fear of sudden fire or accidental burns.
Installation of a heating system with IR heaters: preliminary work
Before starting any work and heating a country house with infrared heaters, you need to collect some information:
- The area of the house where it is planned to install an infrared heating system. Be sure to take into account the size and number of window openings and doors;
- Thermal insulation coefficient of the house (determined through special reference books, depends on the material from which the building is constructed);
- The total power needed to heat the entire house.
If you do the installation of devices yourself, it is important to check the maximum voltage in the electrical system of the house. The indicators should be within 220-230 V - otherwise you need to take care of purchasing stabilizers, because IR devices are sensitive to voltage fluctuations.
In addition, you should select rooms that will be heated. As a rule, IR heating is used for a certain number of rooms where the highest efficiency and productivity can be achieved - living room, kitchen, hallway, bathrooms and utility rooms. For all these rooms, 6-8 heaters will be enough.
Advice. When choosing equipment and calculating it, you need to take devices “with a reserve” of power. This can be useful if one of the panels fails (others will take on its load).
Infrared heating equipment: how to install correctly
Installing infrared heating is a process that requires a certain sequence and knowledge of the features. So, for example, installation of equipment must be done at a certain height (this can be seen in the photo and video on our website) and for each heater the parameters will be different.
IR heaters installed in the living room of a private house
The norm is considered to be 2.2-3.5 meters from the floor - with such indicators the highest productivity is achieved. It should be noted that IR equipment should be mounted at a height of at least 0.5 meters from a person’s head, and such a heating system should not be installed above furniture.
In order to ensure the most optimal room temperature and save a lot of money, it is important to perform a load balancing process during the installation of IR systems. Its essence lies in managing equipment, in particular, the load on the system.
It is planned to install special automation devices in the heating system that control operating modes and load on the entire system.
Advice. There are no difficulties during the installation of IR equipment. The main requirement is compliance with electrical safety measures prescribed by the equipment manufacturer.
Advantages of such systems
The use of infrared technology for heating a country house has many advantages over more traditional heating systems.
Among the most important advantages are:
- Low price of heating itself. Despite the slightly higher cost of the equipment itself, heating the room is cheaper than using water or;
One of the types of floor IR heaters
- Versatility. IR devices are effectively suitable for heating absolutely any room in a country house, from living rooms to bathrooms and storage rooms. There are practically no restrictions;
- IR heaters do not burn oxygen in the room, do not create vibrations or noise. As a result, it is very comfortable to be in such a room, even after long-term operation of the heating system (this cannot be said about traditional heating);
- Duration of trouble-free operation. Many equipment manufacturers claim that infrared heating of a country house will last at least 20 years and will not lose its performance, reliability and safety;
- Fast heat transfer. Unlike most heating systems, IR devices begin to transfer heat immediately after switching on, which allows you to heat a room of any size in just a few minutes;
- No need for expensive installation and maintenance. Equipment installation and maintenance can be performed even by a person without specific qualifications. It is enough just to study the instructions and take into account the requirements of the manufacturers;
- Effective automation of equipment operation without extra costs and complex work. Without any problems, you can install various devices into an infrared heating system, thanks to which the operation of the system will become more productive and of higher quality, and it will be possible to reduce costs.
Types of IR emitters for heating a home
Various companies offer domestic consumers a wide range of infrared devices designed to heat a country house. Basically all type devices, but you can also find wall-mounted and floor-mounted devices. As a rule, in most cases the fuel is electricity, but there are also gas equipment (industrial devices).
The most innovative IR heaters are the so-called picture heaters. This is not only equipment that allows you to effectively heat the air in a room, but also a stylish element of interior decoration that will fit into any room. Such devices consist of heating carbon filaments that operate without overloads or overheating.
Bottom line
Infrared heating of a home is the most economical, practical and reliable way to ensure effective heating of any property, regardless of size. A large selection of heating devices, affordable prices and ease of installation make IR technology an affordable and very profitable alternative to traditional heating.
One of the electric heating options uses radiation in the infrared range. The sun emits its heat in the same range, and so does our body. Therefore, this heating is described by the owners as very comfortable.
What is infrared heating
Infrared (IR) heating works differently than the more familiar convector heating. The emitted waves heat up objects - walls, floors, ceilings, furniture - and from them the air in the room heats up. A person located in a room heated by infrared radiation is enveloped in heat from all sides, including from the floor. For this reason, the level of comfortable temperature decreases by a couple of degrees, which means that under the same conditions, heating costs will be lower.
However, miracles do not happen and only heating a house in which heat loss is minimized will be economical. Under such conditions, naturally, all heating costs will be lower, including any electric ones. But with IR heating, a lower temperature is actually required. The second reason for saving is the presence of a thermostat. If equipped, the heaters operate for a short period of time when the room temperature drops below the set temperature. Otherwise, the heaters are on all the time, the room is hot, you have to open the windows, and the electricity bills are high (to put it mildly).
Infrared heating can be used as the main one, or as an additional one to create more comfortable conditions in a specific place - near the desk, in a relaxation area, etc.
Types of IR heating and heaters
Infrared heating has many options. There are several types of heaters, some of them can be mounted on different surfaces - on the floor, ceiling and walls - creating the required temperature, and this can be done in a zoned manner.
Ceiling heaters
This type of IR heaters is located exclusively on the ceiling. The heating element is a tube that emits waves in the required range. The radiation is scattered using metal dividers, however, the wave flow remains powerful, heating the surface strongly. In this regard, it is recommended to install ceiling infrared heaters at a height of no lower than 3.2 meters, but it will be more comfortable if they are located at a height of about 3.6 meters.
Not very attractive ceiling infrared heating devices from an aesthetic point of view. You can fit them into modern style, minimalism, and other technocratic trends. This is unlikely to work in more classic or romantic interiors.
Film infrared heaters
One of the most popular infrared heaters in recent years is a polymer film with carbon strips applied to it. A current is passed through these strips, under the influence of which the carbon paste emits IR rays. The advantage of film infrared heaters is their flexibility, due to which they can be mounted on almost any curved surface. Almost - because they still have a minimum bending radius, and it is undesirable to exceed it. If we talk about the location of the surfaces, then it really doesn’t matter where you mount it - be it on the floor, on the walls or on the ceiling. This is very helpful if you need to make heating with its sloping walls. At the moment, film heating is the most mobile and easy to install.
The film is attached to a flat surface. The most common mounting material is double-sided tape. If this heater is to be mounted on walls or ceilings, it can additionally be secured with interlocking brackets. Just when driving the staples, you need to get into the film, not into the conductive tires, nor into the carbon (dark) stripes. By the way, if several strips are damaged, the system remains operational - only the damaged strips are excluded from operation. But if the tire is damaged, the entire piece of film will not work.
This film is produced in rolls and can have different widths - from 30 cm to 100 cm. The length is cut according to need - there are cut lines. The cut strips are mounted on the surface, then connected by conductors (in parallel), then connected to a thermostat, which controls the operation of the entire heating system. This system has one more component - a sensor (sensors) that measure the state of the air or the temperature of heating surfaces. They are also connected to the thermostat and, according to their readings, the operation of the heating elements is regulated. By the way, there are models of thermostats with built-in sensors. Then you don’t need to install anything additional, but if the sensor fails (this happens not so rarely), you will have to unscrew the thermostat, and there may be a guarantee for it... In general, the choice is yours.
The film is installed under the finishing material. On the walls it can be plasterboard sheets, lining or something similar. On the ceiling, such a system can be mounted under a suspended ceiling or also covered with clapboard. There are even more solutions when it comes to flooring - any covering suitable for heated floors is suitable.
Wall mounted thermal infrared panels
These infrared heaters have only recently appeared. They are a multilayer structure: the back wall can be made of metal and powder-coated, a heating element (carbon filament) is attached to it, and it is covered with a ceramic screen. Some manufacturers add a heat accumulator to this “pie” - a plate made of heat-intensive material that heats up to a certain temperature and emits heat even after the device is turned off.
According to the installation method, infrared heating panels are wall and ceiling. Ceiling ones can be installed in Armstrong-type profiles or attached to the ceiling using special clamps. Wall-mounted models can each be equipped with a thermostat and an electrical cord. In this case, installation is simply hanging on hooks driven into the right place. There are wall infrared panels that are combined into a single system (wires) and controlled from a single thermostat. In this case, in addition to mechanical installation, it is also necessary to assemble the electrical part.
These panels can be simply white; they can have a pattern applied on them - regular or in the form of a photo print. Panels with a pattern are usually hung on the wall; they also serve as decoration.
Infrared heating using baseboards
Infrared baseboard heaters are designed on the same principle as heating panels. Outwardly, they are very similar to ordinary ones, only they are larger and made of ceramics. They are installed along all walls or some part of them, but installation on external walls is desirable. They can be mounted on top of existing baseboards or instead of them.
Infrared heating using ceramic baseboards is a good idea for discreet, comfortable and efficient heating
This type of heating is the most rational and comfortable: the wall is heated first, and then the air is heated from it. A heated solid wall is an excellent heat accumulator. It is able to maintain the temperature for hours even after the heaters are turned off.
Gas infrared heaters
Not all IR heaters run on electricity. There are installations that run on liquefied gas. They are available in two versions - for indoor and outdoor use.
The liquefied gas is mixed with the injected air and enters a chamber where the pressure of the mixture rises. Under high pressure, the gas-air mixture hits a ceramic burner, which is a panel with small cells. Gas oxidation occurs in these cells, as a result of which the ceramic heats up (up to 800°C) and begins to emit heat in the IR range.
The temperature is regulated using a regulator located near the burner. Safety is guaranteed by fire and gas detectors. There is also a device that turns off the burner if it falls.
With such a heater you can quickly warm up your dacha and raise the temperature to a comfortable temperature on the terrace, in, or in some area of the yard. So infrared heating can be done without electricity. Heaters of this type are also available in a portable, camping version.
The use of infrared radiation sources for heating rooms is a new, modern technology, but it has not yet been sufficiently studied in terms of its use for heating homes and the consequences of long-term exposure to it on humans. On the one hand, all life on Earth arose and exists thanks to the Sun, a powerful source of infrared radiation, but on the other hand, a person’s exposure to direct sunlight leads to overheating and “solar” stroke. Infrared heating is widely discussed online, with very different reviews. Often there are reviews written to order. They often use information that has nothing to do with reality.
Infrared radiation is absorbed by the Earth's surface, which heats the air masses. This principle is used to heat homes, only instead of the Sun, special devices are used that convert the energy of gas or electricity into infrared radiation. The still rare infrared home heating is beginning to gain popularity.
Classic heating devices - batteries, radiators, convectors of various types, to one degree or another, are also sources of infrared radiation. But the heating of the room occurs with the help of air heated by the device, which is distributed throughout the room by convection currents. Infrared heating devices, such as an infrared convector, work differently. They emit infrared rays that heat surrounding objects, the ceiling, walls and furniture, and then they heat the air. This heating method creates a very uniform heating of the room, in contrast to heating by convection currents.
Devices for infrared heating
In the climate control equipment market, a special niche is occupied by devices with which you can easily organize additional or complete heating of your home. Among them, it is worth noting the popular infrared ceiling heating, which is often used as additional heating. Infrared heating devices are united by a common principle - they all create an infrared flow of energy, but there are some differences between them.
To organize heating you can use infrared:
Infrared convectors
Heating devices of this type provide heating of the air due to convection and create a flow of infrared radiation. Popular infrared heating convectors can be used as additional heat sources. The design of the convector is simple - a housing, heating elements, a profiled heat exchanger and a ceramic plate on the front of the device. This ceramic plate is an emitter of thermal energy.
A thin and neat infrared wall convector is installed under windows or at the door to cut off cold air by convective flow.
There are very different reviews for any infrared convector, there is a lot of hidden advertising from the sellers who order them. If there are links to the site, companies and brands are named, then with a probability of up to 90% we can say that the review is ordered.
Infrared panels
Unlike infrared convectors, infrared panels can be installed horizontally on any surface. The demand for them is constantly increasing due to unique technical data and consumer characteristics. Today they are the best in efficiency, economy and safety. The panel design consists of a housing, inside of which a heating element made of carbon black is applied to a dielectric base, which heats up when voltage is applied. The front side of the panel is covered with a ceramic plate - an infrared heat flux emitter.
Online stores offer infrared heating panels, the price of which is significantly lower than that of oil and. It depends on the panel size, power and manufacturer. There is a lot written and advertised on the Internet about infrared heating panels, reviews of which are different; you need to navigate them extremely carefully.
Infrared heaters
The main design elements of infrared heaters are a reflector and an emitter. Emitters can be carbon, quartz and halogen lamps. The reflector focuses and directs the flow of infrared radiation in the required direction. Owners who have tried heating with infrared heaters have different reviews, but no one has yet risked heating entirely using infrared heaters. They are usually used as an additional heat source. The heat is felt instantly, and the room warms up slowly and for a long time.
Infrared films
Heaters of this type are a flexible film that is easy to install. There are two types of film - low temperature (+27 degrees) and high temperature, which heats up above 27 degrees. Low temperature films can be installed under laminate to create a warm floor.
An infrared film heater consists of the following components:
There are different reviews from owners who have used infrared film heating, good and bad. You can read them on forums, but you need to approach the recommendations critically. If you are interested in the question of how much infrared film heating will cost, the heating price can be easily calculated if you know the technical data. Let's take, for example, an infrared heating film made in South Korea and consider its technical data for calculations:
An elementary calculation shows that for a house with an area of 100 m2, electricity consumption per day, even if we take the minimum average value, is 30 W/m2 x 24 x 100 m2 = 72000 W/hour = 72 kW/hour. Whether it is profitable or not is up to the owner to decide.
Heating PLEN
There are several alternative heating systems that are exotic for the majority of the population. The modern high-tech infrared radiation system PLEN also belongs to this cohort. The recently introduced heating system has the highest performance in almost all criteria. What lies behind the abbreviation PLEN? This is an abbreviated name, but the full name is displayed as “film radiant electric heater”.
For the heating system, several Russian companies located in the Urals, Siberia, Moscow and St. Petersburg produce film heaters. The cost of Russian film heaters is significantly lower than their foreign counterparts.
When installed, they are installed on ceilings and heat the floor and interior parts.
All heated surfaces, in turn, heat the air and create a uniform, comfortable indoor climate. For automatic temperature adjustment. The efficiency of the system does not depend on the height of the ceilings. The mass introduction of such a modern, convenient and comfortable system as heating is limited by the price of electricity, which determines heating costs. These costs are currently significantly higher than the costs of gas or solid fuel heating.
Infrared film heating of a private home is being actively discussed online; reviews are mostly wary, because this is a new, unknown matter. Few people have implemented the system. Some users refer to the experience of Finland, where they personally saw the operation of a film heating system. They praise it, but will this system take root with us, that is the main question. Electricity is constantly becoming more expensive, which is one of the obstacles to the implementation of the PLEN heating system. The reviews for infrared ceiling heating used are quite good, if this heating is additional and is turned on occasionally, for quick warm-up or in severe frosts.
Gas infrared heating
For large rooms in which it is difficult to heat a huge volume of air, infrared heating gas equipment is used, which consists of a mixing chamber with a ceramic plate. The gas-air mixture burns in numerous channels of the ceramic plate and heats it up to 900 degrees. The ceramic plate becomes an emitter of infrared energy flow. Such systems have found application in industrial premises.
At home, gas infrared heating is usually used as an addition to existing heating to quickly and efficiently warm up a room. There are numerous and good reviews of gas infrared heating at home. Among the shortcomings, noise is noted, but this shortcoming is considered insignificant. The main thing is that it heats quickly, and in severe frosts it is better to use it as an additional source of heat. Often used in small shops and cafes, but requires compliance with fire safety standards.
Infrared heating of a residential building: pros and cons
The use of various systems and infrared heaters is actively discussed by owners of houses, cottages and cottages. Many people on the Internet are interested in infrared heating, reviews from owners, and their questions revolve mainly around one topic - whether it is profitable or not. Another topic is whether such heating can provide good heating at an acceptable cost.
The infrared heating system has a number of undoubted advantages:
Disadvantages of infrared heating systems. If we take the minimum and calculate the energy costs for a house of 100 m2 and the required power of 0.03 kW/m2, we get 72 kW/hour per day. What if in a month? And multiply all this by the price of electricity? But if there are no other alternatives, for example, there is no natural gas, then you need to carefully calculate whether infrared heating or a solid fuel boiler is more profitable and in what time frame this equipment will pay for itself.
Heating systems in our latitudes, where temperatures in winter sometimes drop to 30 degrees and below, play a decisive role. While city residents do not have much choice due to the existence of a centralized heating system, owners of individual houses have more degrees of freedom when choosing the principle of heating their homes. Among other options for creating a comfortable thermal regime, infrared (IR) heating systems are undoubtedly popular, providing uniform heating of the room and allowing for economical energy consumption. However, there are some features of arranging an infrared heating system for private houses, which we want to tell you about.
The main difference between the infrared principle of home heating and the traditional water heating principle is that it is not the air in the room that is heated, but planes and objects. It is they who then release the accumulated heat, creating the necessary temperature balance in the heated zone. Thus, there is no displacement of cold air masses by warm ones, as well as a natural concentration of heated air under the ceiling of the room. The room is heated evenly - the air temperature is the same throughout the entire height of the room. What is important is that infrared heating of a private home is an energy-saving solution and allows you to save about 50% of electricity compared to other home heating options.
Types of infrared heating
Ceiling infrared heating systems
With ceiling-type infrared heating, heating devices are suspended from the ceiling - due to this, the heat flow is directed downward and slightly to the sides. Thus, the main surface that is heated by IR rays is the floor covering. Therefore, the temperature at the level of a person’s feet with this heating method is a couple of degrees higher than at the level of his head. With the convective principle of air heating, the floor is always the coldest surface, and the bulk of the warm air “lives” under the ceiling.
Good to know! Structurally, a ceiling infrared heater includes a heating element (heating element) and a reflective aluminum plate that emits electromagnetic waves of a certain length. Heating elements are made of tungsten, quartz or ceramics - the power and efficiency of the entire heater as a whole depends on the material used.
Quite often, ceiling heaters are used as an auxiliary heat source in a private home. By maintaining the background temperature in the room using another type of heating and using ceiling-mounted IR heaters, you can create “islands” of heat, for example, in a recreation area, workplace or dining area. Please note that this does not take away any usable area of the room.
Using infrared ceiling-mounted heaters, you can heat the room both in full and zoned
Having a built-in temperature sensor, the IR heater will turn off when the set temperature is reached and will turn on heating if the room temperature drops below the set point. Thus, a considerable amount of electricity is saved. Heating with ceiling-type infrared heaters is also good because the heating devices can be dismantled and transported, say, to a new place of residence.
Infrared film heating can be successfully installed in the ceiling space of a private house, which will allow the height of the premises and the area of the living space to remain unchanged. This is especially important on attic floors with a sloping ceiling and small wall planes. More recently, a new type of infrared ceiling panels mounted in an Armstrong-type profile has appeared on the finishing materials market - a simple and economical solution for common areas in a private home.
It is important to know! Directional flow of infrared radiation must be avoided. The heating device must not be directed towards a person’s head. It is not recommended to mount infrared heaters on a suspended ceiling made of PVC film or on plastic lining, and also to place them below 1.5 meters from the floor surface.
Wall-mounted infrared heating systems
Installing wall-mounted infrared heating panels can be a good alternative to traditional heating using radiators. Having a small thickness and a wide variety of standard sizes, IR heating panels can be easily installed in a private home by yourself.
Panel-type infrared heaters can be an excellent alternative to a traditional water radiator
Infrared panel heaters are available in the form of:
- wall-mounted IR panels installed instead of a conventional radiator in a niche under the window;
- designer wall infrared panels of various sizes and in a wide range of colors;
- strips of warm infrared skirting boards, which are attached around the perimeter of the room instead of a regular skirting board.
A universal option for wall heating is a film heating system mounted in the thickness of the wall. It is rational to install this type of heat source inside a room with one or more external walls - this will ensure sufficient heating of surfaces prone to freezing and mold formation. An important point that you need to pay attention to when installing an IR film system is the mandatory use of a screening film that prevents heat loss.
Floor infrared heating systems
Film mats are used as floor IR heating systems, into which flat heating elements connected in series are sealed. The minimum thickness of this heating system allows you to install a heated floor under any finishing coating - be it tiles, laminate, carpet or linoleum. In this case, not a single centimeter of room height will be lost. The most effective combination of infrared heating in terms of heat transfer is with ceramic tiles, a little worse - with laminate. The greatest shielding of infrared radiation was observed behind linoleum and carpet.
The infrared film heating system can be mounted on the floor, walls and ceiling
In addition to the listed advantages, installation of infrared film is carried out quickly and is not accompanied by dirty work, as, for example, when installing a water-heated floor. Installation of decorative flooring can be done right away, without the numerous steps that accompany the installation of other types of heated floors.
It is important to know! When installing infrared floor heating, it is not recommended to lay film under furniture - this will reduce heat transfer and can cause drying out of wooden and wood-chip furniture structures.
Advantages and disadvantages of IR heating
Like any system for creating comfortable living conditions in a private home, heating rooms using infrared radiation is not without its positive and negative sides.
Advantages of arranging heating in a house using infrared radiation:
- Infrared radiation is similar to solar heat and does not disturb the healthy microclimate in the room - it does not dry the air and does not burn oxygen. In addition, due to reduced air circulation during infrared heating, dust particles are not transferred as intensely as with a convective heating system. There are studies that mid-wave infrared radiation has.
- IR heating can be used zonally, in combination with another home heating system, or act as an autonomous heat source.
- Film heating systems based on IR heating elements are perfectly combined with floor and wall decorative coverings.
- The low inertia of the infrared heating system means that it does not require time to “start up”, like a water coolant. Heating of the room begins immediately after turning on the IR system and allows you to combine it with thermostats.
- For an infrared heating system, voltage drops in the central power grid are not critical, which suggests the high reliability and durability of heating with infrared radiation.
- When using a floor or wall heating system, you can lay IR film only on 50-60% of the room area in order to achieve a comfortable temperature in the room.
- Installation of infrared film and IR heaters can be easily done on our own, as it does not require specific knowledge or skills.
- Due to the modularity of film infrared heating, failure of one segment of the film does not entail complete incapacity of the entire heating system. Replacing a faulty element of a film heated floor is quite simple and does not require installing a new heating strip.
- The electricity consumption of the IR heating system is about 50 W/m2 per hour.
Infrared heaters create a comfortable indoor microclimate by uniformly heating nearby surfaces, which then release heat
Despite the fact that infrared heating has many advantages, one cannot fail to mention its disadvantages:
- Be that as it may, the principle of infrared heating is based on electromagnetic radiation, which does not always have a positive effect on the human body. In addition, static electricity accumulates on heating surfaces, which can attract dust.
- Despite the cost-effectiveness of IR systems, it is initially necessary to invest a significant amount in equipment, which will pay for itself in a few years.
- If zone heating with infrared radiation costs little money, then the use of heating with infrared radiation as the only source of heat can result in an unaffordable amount of money during operation.
- There is an opinion that excessive heating of surfaces in a room by infrared radiation can negatively affect the operation of household electrical appliances.
To summarize all of the above, it can be noted that an infrared heating system can become a rational, economical, quickly installed option for both main and zone heating for a private home.
A new type of heating that has a number of advantages over conventional methods is infrared radiation. Infrared heaters are gaining popularity due to their high efficiency and practicality in operation, as well as a variety of types. These can be glass or ceramic panels, quartz tubes, or infrared heating film.
Economical home heating is becoming more and more in demand, given the constant rise in prices. It is especially effective for maintaining normal temperature in large premises: shopping pavilions, gyms, production workshops. Therefore, more and more people are choosing IR heating. An additional advantage of such a system in the private sector is that there is no need for any approvals.
Principle of operation
Unlike traditional heating systems, in which heaters cause convection of air currents, infrared heating uses radiant energy to a greater extent. Therefore, the surfaces of the floor and furniture located directly under the radiator or in front of it are exposed to heating if the panels are installed on the wall. With this method of heat transfer, the air in the room practically does not heat up.
The emitters of an infrared heating system can be very hot. For industrial heaters it can reach 650°C, which, of course, is a disadvantage of these devices. Compliance with comfortable parameters for heating the room is controlled by a special automatic device - a thermostat. For correct operation of the system, it is installed away from heating devices and local heat sources, in a place where there is no direct sunlight.
Infrared heaters can operate from different energy sources. Emitters for the home, as a rule, are electric. To heat open areas and local heating in large rooms, gas radiators and liquid fuel units can be used. An infrared ceiling in its design can even have tubular heaters attached to the reflector with water superheated to 120°C. Such systems, called long-wave systems, take a long time to warm up the room, but have a big advantage because they do not harm health.
DIY heating
The simplicity of the design of household heaters and the use of conventional electrical components allows you to install infrared heating yourself. Some types of ceiling heating panels have standard dimensions of Armstrong-type suspended ceiling slabs and their installation only involves connecting to the electrical wiring.
A ready-made solution, convenient for self-installation.
Installing wall or ceiling panels requires minimal skill in using tools. Manufacturers, as a rule, complete their heaters with all installation products and detailed instructions. When installing an infrared ceiling, you should only take into account the recommendations for the installation height from the floor level and the distance to the ceiling covering.
Peculiarities
The working principle that infrared heating uses is completely different from traditional heating, where heat energy is transferred through heated air.
Here the opposite is true - thermal energy is converted on surfaces exposed to infrared radiation waves, which significantly reduces losses by excluding air from heating.
It is a direct heating system as opposed to convection heating systems.
Installation of heaters under the ceiling
To choose a heat source suitable for an infrared ceiling in a room, you need to determine its power. The supply voltage and the device’s switching circuit depend on it. For power greater than 1.5 kW, three-phase wiring with a voltage of 380 volts is usually required, and not every home has it. Instead of one radiator, it often makes sense to install two or three local heaters of lower capacity. 
It should be remembered that the manufacturer in the documentation usually underestimates the amount of power consumption and, on the contrary, overestimates the size of the heated room. This is expressed in the fact that both the power and the area of the room are indicated for the off-season operating mode, that is, when the ceiling heating is turned on only to maintain a comfortable temperature. The big disadvantage of such a system is that for operation in winter, electricity consumption will be several times higher, and the heated area will be at least two times smaller than indicated in the documentation.
Film heating designed for floors has a much more uniform and economical energy consumption.
Heated floor
The positive properties of infrared heat sources are best manifested if infrared heating film is laid under the floor covering in a private house. Such heating is considered infrared because the heat from the heating element integrated into the elastic film is reflected from the metallized heat-insulating substrate and penetrates into the room through the floor covering. 
Film heating is used in rooms with a soft or thin-layer coating that does not require a rigid connection to the base. For example, linoleum, carpet, laminate, or parquet.
Impact on humans
Like any other radiation, infrared waves can be harmful to health. The degree of influence depends on the wavelength. Short-wave “luminous” heaters with a wavelength of up to 3 microns provide quick heating of open areas of the floor and surfaces of objects, but can lead to overheating of the upper layers of the skin, drying it out and even burns. Such emitters are used in solariums.
The most comfortable for humans are heaters with an operating wavelength of more than 7 microns. Such waves penetrate deeper into the body, but do not have a burning effect and are not harmful to health.
Expenses
Such heating requires less power to heat the same volume of rooms. According to average calculations, it takes a kilowatt to warm up a small area, but an infrared heating system can warm it all up at half the stated power.
How is this possible? The main heating losses occur in the air; in fact, they go down the chimney. Warming up from contact and passing through the surface of heating devices, the air begins to move. When it moves, it warms the room, but it also goes outside through cracks, loose connections, joints, the roof, windows, doors. Losses in a separate building are greater than in a house with several apartments where there are neighbors, so one or sometimes several walls may be cold, just not shared with neighbors.
Efficiency
There are a number of reasons that increase the effectiveness of infrared systems.
The first reason is the presence of radiant energy released by infrared heating. A person constantly loses heat. These are secretions, breathing, heat radiation. Most of the losses occur through heat radiation through the surface of our body; heat can be replenished in the opposite way.
Scientists conducted an interesting experiment when they created special conditions for the people being tested. When they were initially placed inside a room with well-heated air, but the walls were specially cooled, the people froze. When the air was cooled, but the walls were heated to high temperatures, the effect was the opposite - they felt warm and comfortable, some noted the appearance of perspiration.
The reason for this reaction, the sensations of the subjects, lay in the radiant energy falling on the person, which was then converted by him into heat energy. Therefore, maintaining comfortable room conditions is possible at lower air temperatures than with conventional convection-type heating, but the comfort created is no less, therefore, energy is saved. 
The second reason is the air flow exchange coefficient, an indicator of how much air is lost through loose joints and cracks, doors, and how much it is replenished with fresh, cool air. The absence of circulation created by convection currents made it possible to obtain a coefficient of 0.2-0.6, and in its presence it exceeded 4.5. This is the maximum value for rooms with frequently opened doors, for example, in a store.
In addition, building materials can be saturated with moisture. In cold weather, the presence of moisture increases the thermal conductivity of the walls, and if they are frozen, then even more. Infrared heating allows you to prevent this by starting to warm up the room from the walls. They are dried, moisture is removed from them, and air that gets in instead improves thermal insulation. As a result, energy consumption decreases.
The third reason is smaller temperature differences inside the room along the height. If infrared radiation allows you to reduce the temperature difference to a degree or two, for example, near the floor - 19°, under the ceiling - 20°, then with conventional heating this can be 19° and 23°, respectively.
Additional benefits
Infrared heaters allow you to warm up a room quickly, because the transfer of energy when it hits the surface is instantaneous, so it immediately becomes more comfortable; no pre-heating of the work room is required. This reduces heating costs by lowering the set temperature at night on non-working days.
The heat from the radiation creates a feeling of normal temperature, in reality it is several degrees lower, but the person is still comfortable. And just one degree of temperature allows you to save up to 5% of energy. 
Heating with infrared radiation does not increase air dryness, oxygen is not burned, there is practically no noise or dust. The design of infrared ceramic heaters is modern.
Another advantage of infrared heating is simple, quick installation; no expensive boiler equipment or heating networks are required.
It is distinguished by ease of operation and management. In addition, damage to the system from defrosting, which is possible when using water heating, is excluded.
The absence of moving parts and air filters in the heaters does not entail constant maintenance, replacement of parts, or their lubrication, therefore round-the-clock operation is allowed. Mounting is done on the ceiling and walls. If you need to heat another room or move to a new one, the emitters can be easily removed.
The opportunities that infrared heating opens up are great. In addition to domestic and industrial premises, their use is permitted in agriculture for heating greenhouses and livestock farms, when the air does not require special humidification and ventilation.